When responding to emergency situations, police and fire personnel first attempt to identify the specific dangers of the emergency and to determine which individuals are immediately at risk. During the ensuing panic which arises during an emergency, it is difficult for the emergency personnel to ascertain exactly where non-ambulatory individuals may be located. This is especially true in multi-story buildings and large office complexes that are only occasionally visited by non-ambulatory individuals. This problem is further exacerbated because non-ambulatory individuals cannot exit the building because the elevators are automatically returned to the ground floor and are shut down during an emergency situation. Additionally, if a non-ambulatory person has entered the building during non-business hours or without advising anyone of their location, this person is difficult to locate.
The above situation presents numerous safety and liability problems. Primarily, non-ambulatory individuals may be placed in a situation that they cannot extract themselves from. Moreover, the emergency personnel are required to check each and every floor and office of a multi-story building thereby exposing themselves to unnecessary risk. The aforementioned situation also presents liability concerns for the owners of the building. For example, the landlord or owner of the building may be held liable for not providing adequate safety precautions to the non-ambulatory individuals who use their building. Secondarily, the insurance costs for the owners of these buildings are set at a higher level than other building owners who have taken necessary precautions.
A written log could be used by these non-ambulatory individuals so as to provide their intended location and intended departure time so that emergency personnel may locate them in case of an emergency. However, a written log has several drawbacks. Primarily, most non-ambulatory individuals prefer to keep or maintain their anonymity when entering a building. Non-ambulatory individuals prefer to keep their independence and do not want to request assistance every time they enter an office building. Moreover, the written log could be compromised by individuals who might take advantage of the non-ambulatory individuals, thus presenting another safety concern. Yet another drawback of a written log is that emergency personnel may not be able to find where the log is located and thus the non-ambulatory individuals may not receive the immediate special attention that they require in an emergency situation.
Based upon the foregoing, it is evident that there is a need in the art for an evacuation assistance locator wherein the location and estimated departure time of a non-ambulatory individual is recorded in a secure device and wherein this information is only accessible by emergency personnel. Furthermore, there is also a need for an evacuation assistance locator that maintains the anonymity of nonambulatory individuals and wherein the locator device is detachable by only emergency personnel.